French Armée de l'Air News & Discussion

This is a discussion on French Armée de l'Air News & Discussion within the Air Force & Aviation forum, part of the Global Defense & Military category; Tried looking for a thread like this, found plenty of scattered threads about Rafale so I thought one central thread ...

Tried looking for a thread like this, found plenty of scattered threads about Rafale so I thought one central thread like this would be a better option.

Good picture from G_Steuer on twitter of the first French A400M in the sky decked out with French colours, it's completed it's inaugural flight - some 7 hours - today too.

He posted a decent stat too from a colleague

Which aircraft specifically is the A400M replacing in this instance? IIRC the AdlA are getting something like 50 A400M at the last count, presumably they're replacing the C-160.

Its the C160 which are absolutely at the end of their lives plus give a little strat lift which has been helping the French out in Mali. Seeing how RAF and the Canadians have been using the C17 to help out on strategic lift.

I do wonder why France never considered C17 as they do have the requirement for such craft

Its the C160 which are absolutely at the end of their lives plus give a little strat lift which has been helping the French out in Mali. Seeing how RAF and the Canadians have been using the C17 to help out on strategic lift.

I do wonder why France never considered C17 as they do have the requirement for such craft

Requirements - yes.

Cash - no, because they're investing it all in A400M.

I'd imagine that 40-44 A400M and 4-6 C-17A would enormously improve their strategic airlift capability, but they only seem to be investing in products delivered by local industry (apart from a few specific capabilities - GBU-49 dual mode Paveway II/III and Harfang / Heron UAV springs to mind).

Nato already share ownership with A-3 AWACS, isn't they also planning to pull the resources for share ownership of C-17 (or they have done it already ?). If they can pull share ownership of C-17, then perhaps Franch can use that. Afterall I do believe most of their requirement will be meet by A-400M.

The collective E-3 & C-17 fleets are not owned or shared by all of NATO. Countries opt in, pay a share, & get the use of the aircraft. France, like the UK, has its own E-3s, & has no share in the NATO E-3 fleet. The SAC C-17s (all three of them) are owned by a 12 nation consortium, including two countries (Finland & Sweden) which are not NATO members. France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey & several other NATO members have no share in those C-17s.

There are other collective arrangements within NATO that not all members take part in.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a
possible Foreign Military Sale to France of 16 MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft
and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost
of $1.5billion.

Also provided are spare and repair parts, communication, test, and support equipment, publications and technical documentation, airworthiness and maintenance support, site surveys and bed down planning, personnel training and training equipment, operational flight test, U.S. Government and contractor technical and
logistics personnel services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $1.5 billion.

There's currently quite a big bit of investment going on in French UAV forces, they're currently doing operational assessments of the Watchkeeper system for the Frency Army and IIRC are looking for 30 systems

Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK joined in a program that together with export customer Malaysia has garnered 174 orders.

The production schedule should see a further two A400Ms delivered to France this year from the Airbus Military assembly plant in Seville, Spain, with Turkey also scheduled to receive its first aircraft.

Among the other significant A400M operators, Britain is scheduled to get its first aircraft next year, and German deliveries will follow in 2015.

The turboprop aircraft has a payload capability of up to 37 tons or 116 paratroopers, and can also serve as an air-to-air tanker for fast jets and other aircraft.

Good news for the French air force, giving them a more serious airlift capability, a capability demonstrated to be lacking to a degree during Operation Serval in Mali.

But according to info supplied to a journalist of AirCosmos (G_Steuer on Twitter) from the recent defence budget law there's supposed to only be 15 aircraft delivered by 2019 where until now the expectation was 31 aircraft by 2019.

So French will only take 15 out of 31, or less 16. Taking from other info, seems Spain and Germany also reducing their delivery A-400. From Spain and Germany will be less 13 each, thus make it 26. Plus French, make it less 42.

Those 42 for Airbus, need to be replaced by other nation that interested. It's only rumoured, however based on local forum in Malaysia and Indonesia, Malaysia being offered to take additional 4 from it's current order of four. While Indonesia being offered unspecified number, although with Indonesia already upgrading current C-130H and ex RAAF C-130H, don't see it need new mid-heavy transport soon.

Those offered used being told by Airbus can only be deliver after 2020, since Airbus committed to the original Euro nation order first. However seems Airbus now trying to sell those Euro orders to Asia, Middle-East.

Australia can be a market, if not already committed to C-130J, and C-17. Not a best timing for A-400.

So French will only take 15 out of 31, or less 16. Taking from other info, seems Spain and Germany also reducing their delivery A-400. From Spain and Germany will be less 13 each, thus make it 26. Plus French, make it less 42.

Those 42 for Airbus, need to be replaced by other nation that interested. It's only rumoured, however based on local forum in Malaysia and Indonesia, Malaysia being offered to take additional 4 from it's current order of four. While Indonesia being offered unspecified number, although with Indonesia already upgrading current C-130H and ex RAAF C-130H, don't see it need new mid-heavy transport soon.

Those offered used being told by Airbus can only be deliver after 2020, since Airbus committed to the original Euro nation order first. However seems Airbus now trying to sell those Euro orders to Asia, Middle-East.

Australia can be a market, if not already committed to C-130J, and C-17. Not a best timing for A-400.

As has been discussed in the RNZAF thread, the early 2020's timing would probably work there.

Another possibility could be South Africa, originally ordered 8, then cancelled, but is still an industrial partner in the A400 project and I read recently that there is a suggestion that they may be reconsidering.

As for the RAAF, timing would certainly be an issue, the C130J's probably won't be replaced until closer to 2030, and by that time LM would no doubt have a further upgrade of the C130 available and maybe a new larger design too, but I suppose that will also depend on what a future US requirement might be by then.

*But the article does say that it appears to be a sharp reduction in orders, but some of this would be offset by pushing it back to the next round but it's not clear what. When it talks about (X in the White Paper), i'm not entirely sure if that means what the WP expected to be delivered or just referencing the total number. If it was a comparison, how come the Rafales don't have a reference?

Paris has confirmed its selection of the Airbus A330 multirole tanker transport (MRTT), with 12 of the type to replace its Boeing C/KC-135s from late this decade.

Announced on 20 November, the development will lead to the French air force receiving a first A330 MRTT in 2018 and a second in 2019, says Airbus Defence & Space. The remaining examples will follow “at a rate of one or two per year”, it adds.

“The contract agreed between the French [DGA] procurement agency and Airbus Defence & Space is now ready for official award,” the company says.

France follows Australia, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the UK in selecting the type, although New Delhi and Doha have yet to conclude their planned respective orders for six and two of the aircraft. Talks with both are “in the final stages of contractual negotiations”, says the company.

Indeed, it's the common theme of platform reduction. Still, it's a capable platform and i'm sure they'll make it work.

In other news, the DGA are beginning studies to replace ASMP-A (their air launched nuke) and supposedly it's going to be "bold" including stealth aspects (reasonable to expect) as well as being a hypersonic vehicle.